A government spokesperson said that only CrPC Section 144 is in force to prevent people from gathering.
SRINAGAR: As the clampdown in Kashmir entered the sixth week, life continued to remain disrupted with fresh restrictions on Friday in sensitive areas of Kashmir. However, a government spokesperson earlier said that no curfew is now in force in any part of Jammu and Kashmir and only Section 144 of CrPC is still in place to prevent any mass assembly of people in any part of Jammu & Kashmir.
The worst hit have been students as official work remains suspended in most schools and in all higher education institutions, including higher secondary schools, colleges and universities of Kashmir. Though the government had opened schools, but classes could not resume due to lack of attendance of students. However, through local newspapers, most private schools have asked students to come for assignments as they have now designed these assignments so that the students can study at their homes.
Mobile and internet services have remained suspended since 5 August in Kashmir, though Governor Satya Pal Malik has told media that the mobile connectivity would be soon restored. Also, public transport has remained off the road and business establishments, including shops, have remained shut. Shops in the valley open only during the early morning hours and then in the evening till late night.
Police and paramilitary forces continue to remain on high alert in all the sensitive areas of Srinagar city and restrictions were re-imposed in many parts on Friday to prevent any protests. The suspension of the railway service from Banihal to Baramulla in Kashmir has become a problem for people who have to travel by trains on a daily basis. In the past 40 days, barring Fridays, only private vehicles were seen on the roads, especially in the civil line areas of Srinagar.
Recently, on the issue of releasing three former Chief Ministers, including Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, along with hundreds of other political activists and former lawmakers, National Security Adviser chief Ajit Doval told the media in New Delhi that these leaders can approach the court for their release as they have not been booked under any case pending against them.